On the left is what it said yesterday (that losing Scotland would be bad for the UK). On the right is what it says today (that losing Scotland would be good for the UK).

Does anyone know what calamity befell Scotland’s economy overnight?

The article has all manner of oddities about it. Firstly, it doesn’t show up on the normally-diligent NewsSniffer as having been changed at all. Yet a Google search for the deleted paragraph shows that it clearly used to be there, and under the same URL.

The original stats also appear on this incredibly strange page, which appears to have been auto-translated into a foreign language and then auto-translated back again.

The page now carries a footnote saying “An earlier version of this article misrepresented some data on life expectancy and GDP.” But there’s no mention of how the error arose or what the nature of it was.

So it is in everyone’s interest, rUK and Scotland, for us to vote Yes. That’s a great argument for those selfless souls who were worried about the effect on the rUK. Apparently it’s good. Good for Scotland too, we know that, so, in happy-clappy management talk, it’s ‘Win-Win’.

BTNothanks can pack up their gear and retire, their work is not needed.

The GVA for the UK as a whole has dropped in the second one. So it’s not just the Scottish economy that has apparently tanked. The UK has lost £290.22 ponds per head overnight in economic output.

Also the accuracy of the figures has changed. To the last penny on the left but only to the last pound on the right. So, a rounding error produces different outcome figures as found by an eager bright young thing?

Either way some financial jiggery-pockery with a calculator or a spreadsheet has gone on. I can see big Brian bethering in anger at a positive story for Yes and demanding changes.

@Rosa
Could it be they have been embarrassed by Jon Snow on C4 News tearing into Israeli spokes-creatures? And sympathetically interviewing Gazan doctors? The other public service broadcaster is showing up Aunty big time.

I noticed this this Rev and was going to draw your attention to it. Yep, they’ve taken out the oil revenue. This is highly misleading – unless rUK somehow intends to screw Scotland out of its natural resources, their economy is going to suffer. This is blatant propaganda and ScotGov should get onto this demanding why BBC is misrepresenting Scotland’s contribution to UK economy.

It does state at the bottom of the page “An earlier version of this article misrepresented some data on life expectancy and GDP. This has now been amended.” but gives no explanation about what was changed or why.

GVA is linked as a measurement to gross domestic product (GDP), as both are measures of output. The relationship is defined as:

GVA + taxes on products – subsidies on products = GDP

As the total aggregates of taxes on products and subsidies on products are only available at whole economy level, Gross value added is used for measuring gross regional domestic product and other measures of the output of entities smaller than a whole economy. Restated,

GVA = GDP + subsidies – (direct, sales) taxes

Over-simplistically, GVA is the grand total of all revenues, from final sales and (net) subsidies, which are incomes into businesses. Those incomes are then used to cover expenses (wages & salaries, dividends), savings (profits, depreciation), and (indirect) taxes.

—–

Basically it seems to exclude the things ONLY Scotland can produce, such as Scotch Whisky as this would be a Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) – much the same as you can’t get sea fish in the Lake District.

At the company level, this metric could be calculated to represent the gross value added by a particular product or service the company currently produces or provides. In other words, the GVA number reveals how much money the product or service contributed towards meeting the company’s fixed costs and providing opportunity for a bottom-line profit.

Once the consumption of fixed capital and the effects of depreciation are subtracted, the company knows how much net value the operation adds to its bottom line.

——

Leaves me wondering if any of the fixed assets Scotland has paid towards, like the Palace of Westminster are included.

There’s no mystery here. The calculation in the first table is based on GDP per head. The figures in the second table are based on GDP figures with “not allocated” GVA removed. So of course they’re different.

The real question is which calculation is more robust. Any economists and/or statisticians out there care to comment?

Its the “non-allocated” Scotlands Extra Regio oil. To quote from ONS GVANUTS1 4 The GVA for Extra-Regio comprises compensation of employees and gross operating surplus which cannot be assigned to regions.

Rev …you might be on to something here. Maybe, a few emails, and a daily reminder of the BBC’s illogical wee facts page above may force them to explain it. Personally, I doubt it, but hey …if it annoys them. Great!

Same BBC economics genius attacking AlicSamin, or one more posh angry BBC lady calls Scotland’s First Minister a “husband walking out and taking everything” and also a used car salesman that she says someone in Glasgow told her they wont buy from. Its a rough watch with a very angry BBC ligger from 45 mins, what a face on her at the end:D

It seems to me that this article was originally made by a foreign body (for a foreign publication?) hastily auto translated into English for the BBC to pick up then given a once over by a unionist eye to make appropriate changes… negative Scotland/positive UK … a strange one in any case.

I haven’t had the time, ok I couldn’nt be ersed, to look where the figures of the BBC actually came from but I would venture from 2012 anyway.

The two largest exports of the UK were oil and whisky with Scottish foodstuffs quite high too in intra UK importance.

So as the whisky exports go through UK ports and are designated at Engish exportsand high value electronics go through Heathrow, factor that lot out with no currency union and England+ etc is verily fwucked.

What’s happened is all my colleagues and I in oil and gas have ceased to exist.

Oil just produces itself you know. You don’t have to do anything. Just look out to see and watch. Oil rigs, pipelines etc just grow organically from the sea bed and start pumping the stuff ashore. In response, gas plants and refineries form naturally from the fusion of sand and grass… No people actually work in the industry. I’m likely just still on some trip 14 years after my drink was spiked at uni rather than sitting in an office in Edinburgh telling oil companies e.g. what gas hydrate inhibitor dosage to use.

Of course as the oil fields are not on (Scot)land either, then they’re not really Scottish so ‘unallocated’.

Almost like a game of find the lady when the target has seen a plant win the first round, then there are no lady cards as they’re all up the sleeve until the final reveal. The House makes the rules and changes them as it sees fit.

O.K. hands up! Who lent the BBC Danny Alexander’s substitute calculator? Come on now own up who was it? 😉

It just keeps getting better and better for the good old BBC these days. Here’s a link to an article on Newsnet about the latest report produced by the Audience Council Scotland.

According to the report, BBC Scotland needs a “thorough reassessment” of its news output with viewers north of the border questioning the broadcaster’s impartiality over its covering of the independence referendum.

Another fine example of why I don’t believe a word in media, and especially the BBC.

And of course I am not alone.

Hopefully with a new Scottish broadcast service we can all move on but as the trusting old-school generations fade and die, just watch the cynicism tsunami flood towards the once proud BBC and its petty self serving media, business and political allies.

In both forms of the article, ‘GDP’ and ‘GVA’ seem to have been used interchangeably. As others have pointed out here, the two terms have different meanings. Perhaps the author does not know the difference. Also, the first mention of ‘GDP’ should have said ‘GDP per capita’ — unless nonsense is not to be avoided.

Dont be deluded People that Bbc are softening they’re stance, because they’re putting stories Online, Bbc know the numbers of people in Scotland with Internet connection,& it does,ent have the same circulation spread,as main stream news.

“Is it true that Scottish products leaving the UK from an English port are classed as an English export?”

Yes and what is worse is that firms, like Diagio, the biggest exporter of, “Scotch”, is head quartered in England so not only is the Scotch they export from England accounted as English Exports the VAT, Corporation Tax, Alcohol Duty and the tax and NHS deductions from much of their employees is paid from England and accounted as English revenue. Bear in mend too, that Diagio do not just do Scotch but are the biggest producers of the cheap hooch like vodka, gin and cider. Think also of UK wide firms like ASDA, Tesco and so on. They have English head offices and their tax gathered or due from their Scottish branches is counted as English revenue.

At the end of the day, the BBC are either bending (or breaking) information to suit a unionist bias, or are once again chucking any old guff onto their news site without properly vetting and checking the content. Either way, they have a problem

It’s all very well blaming a huge organisation like the BBC. A typical British institution, with all sorts of shady things done by shady characters, all deniable of course. After all, how far would you go in the BBC without covering your rear end? Possibly corporate culture is involved, but there are, without doubt, powerful individuals that could, and should, be striving to ensure that both sides get a fair hearing. This is obviously not happening, and the conclusion must be that certain people are not doing their jobs properly.

Surely they mean the rUK or does the BBC think Scotland, Wales and NI are just regions of England?

Essentially, the BBC do think of Scotland, Wales, NI as regions of England. They cannot admit it, but the implication is always present. It is the same with unionist politicians. When they refer to the ‘country’ they mean the British state.

Not only could they be including exports via England as not being Scottish, the other fiddle will be in allocating revenue from UK wide organisations such as supermarkets who have HQs in a particular country of the UK to that country rather than where it’s generated.

As to life expectancy, it’s a sad fact that it’s lower in Scotland than the UK average as was the point in recent discussions about pensions. Nothing magical about it at all just a statistical artifact.

Why don’t you politely ask the BBC what happened overnight? I’m sure they will have a reasonable explanation. David Cameron is in Scotland for the Commonwealth Games opening – maybe he had a word with them?

Boris Johnson says a pound is far better spent in Croydon than in Strathclyde, so he gets a special mention from one more far right ukok oddball rambling on and on about AlicSamin getting booed everywhere he goes etc

“– Sir Chris Hoy, the most successful cyclist in Olympic history, has made clear that he’d have come nowhere near the Olympic Park had it not been for England’s training facilities. Like Andy Murray (who held a Union flag behind him after his Olympics win) Sir Chris loathes the idea of his being dragged into nationalist politics. “I’m Scottish and British. I think you can be both – they are not mutually exclusive,” he said after the Olympics ended. This led a triumphant Boris Johnson to claim that the London Games “have done for Salmond… Vote Hoy”

Its even odder as the only memory I have is Hoy wrapped in giant union jacks.

When you look at HMG and their allies, BNP, EDL, BRITNATS, O/O, BT, MSM, BBC THE ESTABLISHMENT plus a few other strange oddball organisations which purport to support our pensioners and other vulnerable people in society.

These BT types lie mislead and try to strike terror into the lives of these poor people not through belief and concern for the vulnerable but through the greed for money and power for their own benefit and no one else’s, they are just being used and will be sacrificed in the event of a yes vote, they will have served their purpose.

They are being led up the garden path by the barber to be shorn and abandoned to their fate.
That is my honest belief.

“My full commiserations and condolences to the squirrel Robert. I can only hope that he gets awarded the golden acorn with crossed leaves awarded for his services above and beyond the call of duty.”

Indeed so, Lesley-Anne: It only occurred to me after I had posted the link that the total cost of that endless list of gifts by all sorts of business, organizations, councils and even charities to the richest family in the United Kingdom could be far better spent as contributions to food banks and homeless people’s support groups.

Just what is it that drives these people? In the main the gifts will probably end up in some deed, dank, vault in the bowels of Buck House. I doubt if the wee laddie will ever see the cuddly toy.

They’re doing it because you can fool some of the people all of the time.
They can also fool all of the people some of the time.
But I’m afraid they’re about to learn that you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.

Feels like groundhog day. If we take the distortion of figures designed to play down the strength of the Scottish economy with the BBC’s focus on deprivation in Glasgow ahead of the games (and hell, they even rubbed their hands in glee at the Corrie missing his cue singing Flower of Scotland!) we have an organisation who is acting against Scotland.

The cries of foul play are growing every day. I hope the foreign press get down to PQ on Sunday to listen and embarrass the BBC into action. The fact they are a mouthpiece for the ruling class is now dispute.

NewportDee says:
23 July, 2014 at 1:11 pm
Why don’t you politely ask the BBC what happened overnight? I’m sure they will have a reasonable explanation.

They were formally asked by a licence fee payer why they are so biased against Scottish democracy a while back and responded that as they were not in yet the 3 month referendum campaign period, they were not obliged to be impartial so there. Now we are, it’s all changed hasn’t it. Big changes coming for Pacifc Quay or none at all but at least we have vote to keep the BBC or not, which is also a unique thing for teamGB.

This is a reflection of the feedback on the street; YES is probably ahead of NO now. The polls are all biased to one degree or another & cannot be trusted.

Look at the venom with which London Establishment types have warned Salmond not to use the Commonwealth Games as a political lever.

It is precisely the uplifting effect in Glasgow that they now wish to diminish also fully aware that the argument is being won door by door.

The full might of the British establishment & its propaganda channels (BBC/Sky/Print media) may well have secured the already staunch & extremist Britnat support it would have had anyway but it has singularly failed to persuade anyone else to swing from a YES to a NO. If there is someone, we haven’t heard a peep.

We also see the full weight of the London BBC worthies taking over the entire broadcast media in Glasgow which in itself is a disgraceful reflection of our own lack of capacity to broadcast events likes this on our own turf.

Unfortunately, my attempts to find out what language that might have been (mis)translated from, by taking pairs of words and testing them in an on-line translator to see if any of the available languages returned the same answer for both words, drew a blank. It was amusing to discover how few languages have a word for eccentric, though (at least, in the dictionaries the translator has access to).

If Gordon Brown had had his way, it would now be called the Bank of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. In his new book, My Scotland, Our Britain, Brown says he tried to change the Bank’s name in1997

The SG should not politicise the Commonwealth Games. Let the Brit nats in the MSM, the UK government and other unionists do that. I see Cameron is coming up to Scotland today, but he will never debate with Salmond. Great democratic state, the British one eh? Where their political leader is afraid to debate on TV with the FM of Scotland. Better to be out canvassing, delivering leaflets, contributing to fund raisers etc, than politicise a sporting event.

@ bookie from hell, http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Members_of_the_House_of_Lords check out where future Lord Brown is heading for. This is what BBC fights so hard to protect. Watched a Lord at Celtic Park on BBC TV Scotlandshire news choking back his tears at just how far a wee Glasgow boy has come in teamGB but don’t know what his role in Games are, as I too started tearing up at his Lordships emotional interview with the liggers.

Muttley 79; Cameron is, in fact, not coming up to Scotland. He’s been remarkably quietly up in Shetland. One wee report on the news last night, one wee interview on state broadcaster radio this morning, and no mention of it on the state broadcaster website except as a wee aside on a announcement about energy production and domestic costs in the north of Scotland.

Yes Shetland, on the other hand, got something the BBC never bothered with. Pictures of him arriving at Sumburgh Airport, in spite of the Number 10 press office denying that he was going to Shetland at all. Arrived by private plane, presumably loaded with extra fuel to make sure it had enough range with him and Alistair ‘Chubba’ Carmichael on board. Meant to have been up to Sullom Voe as well, but I’ve not seen any confirmation of that yet.

Here he is! Bank Of England economy is doing great again so vote no says the man with the plan. Have to say for a banker, Mark Carney is fabulously optimistic but here’s vote NO BBC headline for this evening, UKOK booming. So why even think of changing anything.

I’m not the governor of the Bank of England but since losing the last UKOK election, Con/Dems cut tax for the rich or themselves, slashed benefits with lots of the most vulnerable people now IDS ATOS bed room tax dead, UKOK national debt still rising into mid £1.5 trillions, UKOK deficit way above what Osborne said it would be, stuff like Student Loans building £12 billion public finance black hole, NHS privatising, RBS never going to repay their bail out but still trousering multi million bonuses, more war brewing in Ukraine, Russia, Iraq, giant non aircraft carrying carrier white elephants not launched in the Forth and

@Mosstrooper “It would appear that the LOSS of almost 17 billion of UK GDP would lead to an increase in said GDP.

Is it me?”

It’s GDP per capita so it’s perfectly possible to remove GDP in aggregate terms but have GDP per capita increase (because you’re also removing people). Whether it’s correct or not is a different issue of course.

Cameron in Shetland was low key but Osborne got incredible Press & Journal front page splash today, probably biggest vote No belter from P&j so far. Osborne promises game changer oil taxes with very handsome and brave Osborne on crane over a platform. Pushed all boats out for Gideon but Cameron very little, he just cuddles a little child in Shetland somewhere. Awe. P&J polling day issue is going to be just as eye wateringly ridiculous. Maybe they really are starting to worry.

I wonder if the Yes campaign are going to present the true value of Scottish exports? Scotch whisky exports rake in over £250 per second, all going to the Brit state, and none directly to Scotland. No much wonder they have their own people in charge of the various ‘Scottish’associations.

What I am not clear on when we are independent will whiskey companies have to pay their various taxes in Scotland if registered in England? Thinking Amazon et al tax avoidance. I would have assumed export tax would have to be paid here. Corporation not so sure?

“The UK workplace nominal Gross Value Added (GVA) per head1 for 2012 was £21,295 (excluding economic activity which cannot be assigned to any specific region, such as North Sea oil and gas extraction). By country GVA per head was highest for England (£21,937), followed by Scotland (£20,013)”

Also David Cameron has sent a fisheries minister to debate rural affairs, the meeting is in Dingwall tonight, Alex Salmond says, Cameron won’t debate me he says he isn’t involved in the Better Together matters yet he’s sending a fisheries minister to Dingwall. It all reeks of unionist hypocrisy.

@ desimond, BBC airbrushing Scotland flags from Glasgow Games technically makes sense as the London 2012 Olympic Games were in the UK’s capital city and Glasgow is still only a city in the UK. Although if this was an actual happy union, BBC propaganda would have the self confidence to have at least one Saltire, which clearly they don’t.

“Give them nothing from now until 19 the Sept” seems to be BBC/media policy but imagine what they’ll do if they lose!

How can a non country have a capital? I’m trying to work out BBC vote no propaganda with union jacks all over its Glasgow games coverage and why teamEngland has it’s website covered in England flags. Even Northern Ireland haven’t done that, it’s a bit green though. OO won’t like that.

@ desimond, it’s interesting how we are all meant to evil and cruel nationalists for voting Yes but BetterTogetherBBC liggers wrap themselves and anything they can get hold of with giant shiny union jacks, while all the rest of teamGB don’t.

You’d think they were worried about some UKOK changes coming their way or something.

So there we have it from the BBC, they genuinely do not think Scotland should have control over around 90 per cent of the oil. This despite it being in our territorial waters. Who trusts them when they come out with such blatant lies?

“Both sides of the independence debate have agreed not to use Glasgow 2014 for political gain anyway.” with a sad Union Jack face painted child? So why is BetterTogether BBC wrapping their Games stuff in union jacks then? Because the BBC is neutral. lol, seriously crap outfit.

Im pretty sure that if David Cameron is given an opportunity to speak tonight ( it may just be Liz and Eck) then the crowd will soon make it a political event and you can bet the BBC will have someone ready to mute the crowds negative feedback.

It starts with a slideshow of great athlete portraits, lots of small and even bigger saltires in the uniforms, iconic Scottish places old and new. From castles and lochs (and hieland coos!) to Forth Rail Bridge, the Falkirk Wheel, windfarms and the Kelpies. I loved the judoka Euan Burton, with the Wallace monument in the background, looking ready to take on ANYBODY! 😀 Oh, and I wouldn’t mess with lawn bowler Alex Marshall, either! 😀

No need for unsubtle flag-waving, just the places and the people. Maybe many non-Scots will miss many of the place and cultural references but all the pictures are of such a high quality as photographs.

@ lumilumi, thanks for the Micky Yule link, incredible. All these web sites have me hooked now but coming back like this after getting so badly wounded in Afghanistan is an unbelievable achievement in itself.

From the BBC article
“And when the BBC asked the organisers of Glasgow 2014 if spectators could wave a standard Union Flag, they said they could. Although they added that the flag size policy would be applied.

You are not allowed, however, to bring the flag of a country not competing in the Games. So no USA flags, for example.”

Something smells a bit funny to me….The United Kingdom is not competing in the games, so by the rules (as reported by the BBC) the Union Flag should not be allowed in the stadium as it is not the flag of “a country” competing in the Games. Anyone waving a Union Flag at the Games is surely most likely to be doing it for political reasons (or BBC/BT/NT gave it free to kids to wave).

“So why is BetterTogether BBC wrapping their Games stuff in union jacks then?”

Besides the fact that it is NOT a Union Jack, (A Jack is the small version of a flag flown on the Jack Staff on a ship’s bows). The Flag in question is the Union Flag. Anyway, technically, the Union Flag is as much the flag of Scotland and Northern Ireland as it is that of England.

Being, however, part of England Wales does not feature on the union flag. It is thus not only incorrect but a direct insult to the rest of the United Kingdom for England to use the union flag as if it were the flag of England.

Seems the English team may be somewhat ashamed to be seen with their own, “Cross of St George”, national flag and prefer instead to hide beneathe the banner shared with the rest of the United Kingdom.

Caz-m, we were both posting pretty much the same thing at pretty much the same time.

A wee bit off-topic but I got my YES Saltire tonight on the way home from the Dundee Yes Hub in St Andrews Street and it is now covering one half of my living room window. Nice wee blether to a couple of the folks there as well.

Has there been any confirmation of the YES Saltire ban at T in the Park rumours?

You are not allowed, however, to bring the flag of a country not competing in the Games. So no USA flags, for example.

This.
The UJ is the flag of the UK but the UK is not competing in the Commonwealth Games. There is no “Team GB” (except at PQ).

For the Commonwealth Games, the “home nations” compete in their own teams. So Saltires, Red Dragons, St George crosses and… uhm… what’s the NI flag (sorry for being so ill-informed)?

Anyway, good luck, Glasgow, and the rest of Scotland for staging a great games, and most of all: Good luck to all the athletes, Scottish or otherwise! May the best athlete win and let’s keep politics out of it (I’m looking at you, BTUKOKNOBORDERSNOTHANKS people!)

On topic:
I saw the BBC figures yesterday and was pleasantly surprised because they seemed to show that Scotland isn’t a subsidy junkie, after all. (I know Scotland isn’t, but for the BBC to spell it out is a break-through.)

I jubilated too early, it’s back to normal service today… Sigh.

The one thing this referendum malarkey has exposed is the dire state of all the MSM in Scotland, particularly the “trusted” and “impartial” BBC.

Things will never be the same again, not even after a NO vote. The MSM/BBC have shot themselves in the foot big time.

Usage of the term ‘union jack’ when meaning the union flag, has been for most of my very long life, a standard turn of phrase in the UK, Scotland and even on the BBC. Whilst you are techincally correct, It isn’t important. If you think about it, it really doesn’t make any difference whatsoever. It’s only in recent years that some have changed their usage of the term.

In addition whilst it may be argued the Union jack technically also belongs to Scotland, I can assure you I will never regard it as my flag. The English can stupidly do whatever they like with it. They can even fly it upside down (as they invariably and quite unintentionally do) on 19th Sept. when the YES vote is announced.

One thing I look forward to with independence is getting that bl*****g union jack down off Edinburgh castle – the presence of which I regard as a daily insult to the people of Scotland. It says ‘we own you’. Makes me angry every time I see it – that and the largest union jack you ever did see on the Mound offices of the commercial enterprise that jokingly terms itself nowadays the Bank of ‘Scotland’. To add to the insult, they have it flying above some very small Saltires.

Yeh, I read the original yesterday and was quite interested in how the figures were presented. This morning, in response to an undecided Facebook friend who only believes something is true if the BBC say so, I copied the link and suggested she look at it. She came back with the equivalent of a ‘so what’ shrug. I didn’t have time to pursue the point but this might explain why.

No wonder Orwell based 1984’s Ministry of Truth on his experiences at wartime BBC.

It is remarkable the number oif people who do not know that not one penny from Westminster paid for the commonwealth games, yet Scottish taxpayers have paid their share for the London games.

I think these games will be great for Glasgow and for Scotland. We did this by ourselves. Made in Scotland.

As for Cameron, up in Scotland yet again, yet too feart to debate independence with Scotland’s First Minister. Cameron is yellow through and through. No courage of his convicitons or what he says he believes in.

Re: “Borders Council supporting England in the Commonwealth Games”. They also support Tonga.

It’s all a part of a Sport Scotland initiative to get each and every Scottish council area to adopt 1-2 teams besides Scotland to support and cheer.

I mean, there cannot be that many Nauruans in Glasgow so the good people of Argyll or wherever will also cheer for them. North Ayrshire twinned with Tuvalu, that kind of thing. I think it’s a lovely idea but I thought it didn’t apply to the “home nations”.

I wonder who assigned England to Borders people… 😀

Completely off on a tangent, I love the name of that tiny island nation, Nauru. It’s Finnish for “laughter”.

Just listening to BBC Scotland radio coverage, some BBC commentators have already rubbished the opening ceremony and the games… facepalm.

And foaming at the mouth at how the games shouldn’t be politicised… and then going on to do just that. double facepalm.

The original ‘Make Alba Shine’ by Gilly is here : http://www.makealbashine.com/ with link to free down load of the song (to be used by the YES campaign in any way that promotes a YES vote). There is some press coverage coming up.

Share your feelings. Unfortunately resigned myself to the fact that even after a yes vote there will be no law against the union flag so am sure some will still feel the need to fly it.
However it will no longer signify englands power over us. 🙂

I don’t think it would and, as much as I would support it if it did, I believe the SNP have the right of it when they abstain on matters which don’t directly affect Scotland.

If anything we should be pressing our own Government to introduce similar legislation. It’s possible that the ‘Responsible Adult’ (hope that’s it’s correct title) legislation goes a long way towards just the same outcome.

Don’t know of I’m being over sensitive but watching The One Show on BBC 1 and Celtic Park is in the background with massive signage stating ‘The Time is Now’ every letter is white and is on a red background except the last letter w which is on a yellow background which make it difficult to see so when it shown you can clearly see ‘The Time is No’ Possibly a good reason for it but it was annoying me so I am just venting.

One Show dim hosts tried to needle Salmond about the use of the words ‘together’ ‘union’ etc in the Opening Ceremony. He pointed out that virtually every country in the CW has declared independence from UK. LOLz.

The games are great for Glasgow’s and Scotland’s international profile… But sorry to burst the bubble.

The world is not watching. Commonwealth countries might be watching but the rest of the world isn’t.

The only coverage we’ll get in Finland is some quick highlights if some outstanding results are made in athletics. And something on Usain Bolt, if he’s picked for the Jamaican relay team.

A good friend of mine (a Finn) put it this way – in all friendliness – “The Brits started the Commonwealth Games because they didn’t like the French and Germans and other foreigners hogging all the Olympic medals that should’ve been Eng… British.”

That said, I think the CG are a good platform for younger athletes to gain international experience, and of course, a chance of “togetherness” for lots of countries that share some history. (I just wonder if the CW contries have quite the same view of “shared history” as the UK/English establishment..?)

OT one show presenter firing some trip ya up questions to Salmond. Also asked what would he feel like if he got a similar reception to what Sepp Blatter did when he takes his seat. BBC arseholes
Also when Amy McDonald was being interviewed the crowd in the background had a union flag
Looks like the tone has been set

Radio Scotland doing some vox pop apparently among people making their way to the opening ceremony.

Some Jamaicans went on and on about how Glasgow, Scotland is great. The weather is great, the architecture is great, Glasgow, Scotland is so pretty, the people here in Glasgow, Scotland, are great, so friendly, so fun, everything works so well here in Glasgow, Scotland, it’s great to be here in Glasgow, Scotland!

The BBC cut back to the studio where the punters ah-so-amusingly laughed about how they thought they’d never hear anybody complementing Glasgow’s weather or… well, basically anything about Glasgow, Scotland.

“Usage of the term ‘union jack’ when meaning the union flag, has been for most of my very long life, a standard turn of phrase in the UK, Scotland and even on the BBC.”

A lifetime in the MOD or anything maritime teaches the importance of flags and pennants. Whether or not you or I agree with it the Union flag is indeed as much that of Scotland as any other Union country. What’s more, no one will be more pleased than I to see the Union Flag taken down for the last time.

Not being the flag of England it is a great pleasure for me to belittle any ignorant English person who fondly imagines it is the flag of England.

Way back in the days, when there was less chance of getting beaten up over supporting your football team, I had a great laugh on my way to a Scotland vs England match at Hamden.

Walking towards the ground I came upon a whole coachload of Englanders getting out of a coach. As it happened I had no Scottish colours showing. I have the ability to keep a dead pan and said to the Englanders, ( who were all decked out on red, white & blue with Union flags, Etc. “Hi Lads – what team are you supporting”?

There was a moments silence then they all spoke at once. Anyway I said, “Whoa! There! How am I supposed to know you support England for I can’t see an English Flag or English colours anywhere? Same all talking at once. I told them they were showing every country in the Union’s colours and it began to dawn upon them I was having them on.

It was you understand all good natured kidding. By this time we had arrived at the ground and had to go to the turnstile indicated by our tickets. You should have heard the resultant shouts and retorts when my parting shot was, “Now, Lads, going to tell me what Anthem you’re going to sing as England’s”?

I’ve just watched a snippet of the one show where they were interviewing 2 past and present athletes, some of the crowd around them had small hand held flags with a Saltire on one side and a UJ on the other?
Never seen that at the commonwealth games before.

caz-m
To be (brutally) honest I think it was ill judged to have planned a protest outside Pacific Quay while the Games are on.
Why? Simple the BBC are basing all their games broadcasts from Pacific Quay, they are also the host broadcaster. So it is expected that they would set up a broadcast village at Pacific Quay.

This included have a secured area

So there are only two alternatives. One, when the Broadcast village is to cancel and reschedule for after the games are over. Or Two, relocate the protest to another location, but given there is unlikely to be much scope will be difficult

Any thought that the BBC set up the tented village just to prevent the protest is a bit naïve

Just been watching BBC news reporting from Glasgow and they interviewed a family holding Saltires and Union Jacks.

WTF has the Union Jack got to do with the Commonwealth Games???

Do people really hate their country so much that they can’t hold their own flag on its own without making some pathetic cringing statement holding onto a flag that, in the eyes of the world, represents England.

Yeah, I understand your anger and frustration. Surely though all the committed Yes supporters will see right through the crappy attempt at brainwashing with subliminal messages.

I think the huge banner with the message “The Time Is Now” with the ‘w’ being white on a yellow background so it appears to read “The Time Is No” is so pathetic that it’s not worth bothering about.

Use it as proof as to how the Scots are being treated as fools by the British establishment when you talk to undecided. We have to play with the hand we’re dealt, try to make use of their not so subtle messages.

Hi there, Welcome to the Commonwealth games in Scotland, who are too stupid to have any Scottish presenters, except H Irvine! Who can only wave Saltire/Union Jack flags! Don’t anyone phone me tonight I’m having a sickness bout that won’t be cured till we get rid of this BBBC! I’m usually so placid but I’m raging!! They’ve stolen our games!!

The committed Yes supporter will spot the Commonwealth Games are being hijacked by the BBBC, what more can we do now other than point out to the undecided how the establishment is using not so subtle propaganda to brainwash the “stupid Scots”.

I’m angry too, don’t you think that a good few undecided won’t also be angry if we point out this diabolical liberty take.

A brief phone call to the Director General, he then picks up a telephone to instruct the relevant staff member in charge of the site communicating the emendation as if the change in text is his own idea. Nothing written on a memo, of course …

I think the letters and emails of complaint to the BBC will be in the thousands at least if not tens of thousands. I’m off to write mine now about how the games have been hijacked for the sake of Unionist propaganda.

Playing devil’s advocate, it is the British Commonwealth but no excuse to have a two sided flag, have a UJ one by all means if folk want to wave one but at least give them a choice. Having Lineker there, who I actually like on MOTD, is just not right. Only Scot is Hazel, who is superb but would be doing it if it was in London. Why no Scottish presenter that we know? Although having said that, I’m not sure who. Jonathan Sutherland? I’ve maybe knackered my argument.

My wife hates any kind of animosity or confrontation of any sort and thinks everyone should just smile coz life’s too short. And she thinks I’m being paranoid aboot the CW coverage so far. But I’m sitting here ready to kick the wheelie bin in the puss watchin this pish.

Come on guys we always knew they were going to hi-jack it ,so did wee eck i think he was counting on it,the more they try to unionize it the more they will fail,so dont worry or get angry let them do their Great British empire bit,a kind of last gasp by a bunch of desperado’s.
As for the wee flags start spreading that if you get two of them and stick them together you have a double sided Saltire,so anybody going to the games take a pile of elastic bands with you to hand out.

When did glasgow become a friendly city? Highest murder rate in the uk just last year. Nobody better than blowing their own vomit encrusted trumpet. Ugly city, uglier people and a cancer draining the life out of Scotland.

you know i feel sorry for Queenie she must think the world is full of crass cheesy entertainers as everywhere she goes up they pop like a bad SDT.
Anyhow bring on the sporting events as that is what it is all about not a bunch of celebrities looking for a mention on the honours list.

Cannot believe the union flag as the back drop in the stadium, they think we button up the back, they have sorely misjudged us. I hope we fuckin send them into apoplexy with a 75% Yes vote. Bring it on. (sorry for all my swearin, I’m not used to visually engaging with anything to do with the bbc or telly in general, but I feel it was a necessary duty to really see how far they would go to not ‘politicise’ the games…)I’m watching to see the saltire, because I want to hear…that roar, and roar it will be…people are not stupid, we will feel that when the flag emerges.

Have we to forget the Court Jester Billy Connolly, sooking up to the English media in the 1979 Referendum? No wonder he was never aff the Parky show, bad mouthing the country of his birth, then moving South to be near his Royals.

He should have been on a Union Jack Tandem with Sir Chris racing over the Border.

According to the BBC Yes Saltires are not allowed according to the BBBC??

Take it anyway and let us know how you get on, I’ll take mine as well in me pocket. Then change the saltire for the Yes one once in there, so if they take it off me I’ll stick the Saltire without Yes back on.

Anyone who thought the games would be non politisised is quite frankly naive. They tried it with Bannockburn – AFD and went belly-up, they even tried it with the flags at T in the Park. AND they’ll try it on with the Ryder Cup – wanna bet!

Every YES group and Wingers within 50 miles of Glasgow should be standing every day of the Games in the middle of Sauchiehall Street with a large stand (or two!) and spreading the word. That’s where to get folks attention.

Yes, the oil is not counted in the scenario on the right but is on the left. Non accountable GVA, as counterintuitive as it sounds, has not been allocated to Scotland because currently in the UK it is regarded as a shared asset. If you discount oil the rUK does slightly better than Scotland and hence the change in figures. Fairly obvious really as it is the only possible explanation. I will add I don’t think this is deliberate deception. Without assuming that the BBC is beyond reproach it has ben a fairly simple anonoly to identify. Even if the first version had never existed it would have been challenged and the BBC would have know that. It is much easier to succesfully deceive more subtley by editorial means.

The UK’s weasel-worded “geographical share of oil” is deceptive. Literally.

“Geographical share” =/= “territorial share”.

It does NOT mean “the revenues from the oil & gas that’s in Scottish waters.”

At some point last year, I looked up the obscure explanatory notes in one of these GDP pubications and found that Scotland’s attributed “geographic share” of gas & oil revenues is around 7 to 8% of UK total. (Yes, just seven to eight per cent.

The result of course is that we all ASSUME we’re looking at how much (how little!) Scotland would get from oil if it controlled its own oil territories.

As far as I could understand the sly wee note, the definition of “geographical” was “geographical POPULATION peercentage.”

Thus England gets attributed about an 80% “geographical share” of UK oil and gas revenues because it has about 80% of the population.

Scotland seemed to get aboy 7.2 to 7.8% most years – some sort of extra minor adjustment that reduces it a bit more. (Maybe deductions for tax breaks to do with investment/development?)

Find the full-length document, take note of the asterisks and small print in italics and LOOK UP ALL THE FOOTNOTES.

What you are saying is not right. Geographical share is the oil in Scottish waters. Population share is splitting the tax revenues of oil according to the percentage of the UK population that are Scottish. That is why you found 8% because the Scottish people are 8% of UK population. You must have misread it. About half way down this web page you will find a map and a description of geographic share. There is also an explanation of population share:

@Neil. I know what I read, Neil. I wish I could remember exactly what document it was: I think it was a breakdown of the various economic sectors’ contributions to GDP. Further in, for some key industrial sectors there was a breakdown for each of the four UK constituents. I think it may have been for 2012. Amazed to see that the figures for oil revenues attributed to England were massive, while Scotland’s were tiny. At first I assumed a printing error — but then I noticed the wee asterisks and end-notes numbers and took a look at the notes way at the back. There, it became clear that “geographical” had taken on the weaselly meaning I described.
I will try to track down for you which document this was.

Comment - please read this page for comment rules. HTML tags like <i> and <b> are permitted. Use paragraph breaks in long comments. DO NOT SIGN YOUR COMMENTS, either with a name or a slogan. Ignore these rules and I WILL KILL YOU WITH HAMMERS.